Thursday, August 6, 2009

What a relief! When I went and saw Bhupenda this morning, he appeared quite rested. He spoke, albeit briefly, and complained of some pain, but otherwise he was the same old Bhupenda.

The maestro was taken off the ventilator around 7.15 this morning and the various tubes were also disconnected. He had a simple breakfast too. The pain may be there for a while because he has been given only some light painkillers. But there is no reason to worry as the critical phase has passed. Doctors say he should be okay in the next 12 hours and can be shifted to a room from the ICU where he is required to remain till then for observation.

Those were just a few hours, but for the three of us — (his companion) Kalpana Lajmi, (his friend) Kamal Katoky and myself — it seemed like ages as we waited anxiously while the doctors performed the bypass surgery yesterday.

The entire operation lasted for about five hours, which the doctors said was normal in his case, given that he already had a surgery in the past when the pacemaker was implanted. Finally, the doctor emerged and said everything had gone off well.

There were people dropping by, making enquiries; there were calls coming from Assam. The callers were anxious, perhaps even more so, as they were far removed from Mumbai and wanted to know every minute how their Bhupenda was doing.

Those were moments which once again brought home a fact that has been known for so long: People just love Bhupen Hazarika.

While the anxiety all around was understandable, Bhupenda himself was confidence personified the day before. He told me he would go on and try and complete the various unfinished tasks at hand with the blessings and good wishes of the people. He is already set to work in two films, one Hindi and one Bengali, both by Lajmi.

Come to think of it, he was actually in quite a jolly mood, seemingly unaffected by the thought that he would be undergoing a major surgery the very next morning. His thoughts were rather on other things. He was still thinking of the people back home. He was highly appreciative of the hospital and told me that when chief minister Tarun Gogoi comes to meet him, he would request him to set up such a hospital in Assam for the people in our state.

I have been with Bhupenda for long, but his strong will and determination never cease to amaze me. He has already pulled through and I am certain that he will not only go on and complete whatever he has left incomplete, but also embark on newer journeys.